Verse 20:87 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

83 ۞ وَمَاۤ أَعۡجَلَكَ عَن قَوۡمِكَ یَـٰمُوسَىٰ ۝٨٣ wamā aʿjalaka ʿan qawmika yāmūs [God said], ‘Moses, what has made you come ahead of your people in such haste?’ 84 قَالَ هُمۡ أُو۟لَاۤءِ عَلَىٰۤ أَثَرِی وَعَجِلۡتُ إِلَیۡكَ رَبِّ لِتَرۡضَىٰ ۝٨٤ qāla hum ulāi ʿalā atharī waʿajil'tu ilayka rabbi litarḍ and he said, ‘They are following in my footsteps. I rushed to You, Lord, to please You,’ 85 قَالَ فَإِنَّا قَدۡ فَتَنَّا قَوۡمَكَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِكَ وَأَضَلَّهُمُ ٱلسَّامِرِیُّ ۝٨٥ qāla fa-innā qad fatannā qawmaka min baʿdika wa-aḍallahumu l-sāmiriy but God said, ‘We have tested your people in your absence: the Samiri has led them astray.’ 86 فَرَجَعَ مُوسَىٰۤ إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦ غَضۡبَـٰنَ أَسِفࣰاۚ قَالَ یَـٰقَوۡمِ أَلَمۡ یَعِدۡكُمۡ رَبُّكُمۡ وَعۡدًا حَسَنًاۚ أَفَطَالَ عَلَیۡكُمُ ٱلۡعَهۡدُ أَمۡ أَرَدتُّمۡ أَن یَحِلَّ عَلَیۡكُمۡ غَضَبࣱ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ فَأَخۡلَفۡتُم مَّوۡعِدِی ۝٨٦ farajaʿa mūsā ilā qawmihi ghaḍbāna asifan qāla yāqawmi alam yaʿid'kum rabbukum waʿdan ḥasanan afaṭāla ʿalaykumu l-ʿahdu am aradttum an yaḥilla ʿalaykum ghaḍabun min rabbikum fa-akhlaftum mawʿid Moses returned to his people, angry and aggrieved. He said, ‘My people, did your Lord not make you a gracious promise? Was my absence too long for you? Did you want anger to fall on you from your Lord and so broke your word to me?’

87 قَالُوا۟ مَاۤ أَخۡلَفۡنَا مَوۡعِدَكَ بِمَلۡكِنَا وَلَـٰكِنَّا حُمِّلۡنَاۤ أَوۡزَارࣰا مِّن زِینَةِ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ فَقَذَفۡنَـٰهَا فَكَذَ ٰلِكَ أَلۡقَى ٱلسَّامِرِیُّ ۝٨٧ qālū mā akhlafnā mawʿidaka bimalkinā walākinnā ḥummil'nā awzāran min zīnati l-qawmi faqadhafnāhā fakadhālika alqā l-sāmiriy They said, ‘We did not break our word to you deliberately. We were burdened with the weight of people’s jewellery, so we threw it [into the fire], and the Samiri did the same,’

88 فَأَخۡرَجَ لَهُمۡ عِجۡلࣰا جَسَدࣰا لَّهُۥ خُوَارࣱ فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَاۤ إِلَـٰهُكُمۡ وَإِلَـٰهُ مُوسَىٰ فَنَسِیَ ۝٨٨ fa-akhraja lahum ʿij'lan jasadan lahu khuwārun faqālū hādhā ilāhukum wa-ilāhu mūsā fanasiy but he [used the molten jewellery to] produce an image of a calf which made a lowing sound, and they said, ‘This is your god and Moses’ god, but he has forgotten.’ 89 أَفَلَا یَرَوۡنَ أَلَّا یَرۡجِعُ إِلَیۡهِمۡ قَوۡلࣰا وَلَا یَمۡلِكُ لَهُمۡ ضَرࣰّا وَلَا نَفۡعࣰا ۝٨٩ afalā yarawna allā yarjiʿu ilayhim qawlan walā yamliku lahum ḍarran walā nafʿa Did they not see that [the calf] gave them no answer, that it had no power to harm or benefit them 90 وَلَقَدۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ هَـٰرُونُ مِن قَبۡلُ یَـٰقَوۡمِ إِنَّمَا فُتِنتُم بِهِۦۖ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنُ فَٱتَّبِعُونِی وَأَطِیعُوۤا۟ أَمۡرِی ۝٩٠ walaqad qāla lahum hārūnu min qablu yāqawmi innamā futintum bihi wa-inna rabbakumu l-raḥmānu fa-ittabiʿūnī wa-aṭīʿū amr Aaron did say to them, ‘My people, this calf is a test for you. Your true Lord is the Lord of Mercy, so follow me and obey my orders,’ 91 قَالُوا۟ لَن نَّبۡرَحَ عَلَیۡهِ عَـٰكِفِینَ حَتَّىٰ یَرۡجِعَ إِلَیۡنَا مُوسَىٰ ۝٩١ qālū lan nabraḥa ʿalayhi ʿākifīna ḥattā yarjiʿa ilaynā mūs but they replied, ‘We shall not give up our devotion to it until Moses returns to us.’